Thinking Holistically How to Prepare Your Business for Your Vacation As a business owner, it’s hard to find the time to take a vacation. Even if you are able to... Funding a Business How Much Money Do I Need to Raise? In our Funding a Business Course, we look at how to assess whether you are ready to raise money for... Funding a Business What Funders Want to Fund We often hear new entrepreneurs say, “I need to raise money so I can quit my job and work full-time... Funding a Business Are You Ready to Raise Money for Your Business? When we interview entrepreneurs for our entrepreneurship education and advising programs, we ask them about their biggest challenge in starting... Funding a Business Are You Starving Your Business? If you’re in the early stages of your business development, you’re probably very familiar with bootstrapping. That is, funding your... Business Planning Guide to Getting Started on Your Business’ Financial Forecast Many entrepreneurs struggle to put together the numbers, or financial forecast, for their business. However, understanding your business’ financial outlook... Building Capacity How to Create an Annual Strategic Plan It’s time to start thinking about how you will grow your business in the upcoming year. We’ve discussed the benefits... Building Capacity Start the Year Off by Organizing Your Business Happy New Year! The beginning of the year is a great time to get organized in your business and prepare... Thinking Holistically New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business As a business owner, the beginning of the year is an exciting time. It brings an opportunity to reflect on... Building Capacity Why Your Business Needs an Annual Strategic Plan Running a business is hectic. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day operations, and then find you have... Business Planning Planning During Uncertain Times It’s that time of the year when many business owners, including ourselves, are planning for the year ahead. But, how... Community Impact Support Small Businesses this Holiday Season As we approach the end of this year, let us not forget how important the holiday season is for our... Entrepreneurial Journey How to Build Business Resilience As we continue to move through new waves of COVID and other public health emergencies, ongoing climate change, supply chain... Community Impact How Entrepreneurs Can Engage in Elections As an entrepreneur, you have deep roots and investment in your community. And our local economies rely on the success... Business Retention Recession Proof Your Business With the increasing number of headlines pointing to a potential recession, we’ve had several business owners ask us how they... Thinking Holistically Are You Ready to be CEO of Your Startup? We’ve been working on a number of strategies that require us to name a CEO. That got me thinking about... Business Planning Common Business Plan Mistakes to Avoid Writing a business plan is an important part of your entrepreneurial journey. In our experience, it’s also one of the... Thinking Holistically The Hidden Benefits of Asking for Support For many entrepreneurs, the idea of asking for support brings up all sorts of fears and anxieties. We’re worried that... Building Capacity Reduce Your Stress with These Tips for Managing Your Business’ Cash Flow We’ve shared how to analyze your business’ cash flow. Since this is such an important topic for business owners, we... Funding a Business How to Create Your Elevator Pitch If you’re not familiar with the concept of an elevator pitch, it’s an overview of you and your business or... Building Capacity How to Follow Up with Customer Leads You’ve received the name and contact information of someone who could be a potential customer. Now, how do you begin... Thinking Holistically Managing Your Mental Health as a Business Owner Last week, we looked at some warning signs that might indicate that your business might be affecting your mental health.... Thinking Holistically Is Your Business Affecting Your Mental Health? As we’ve written about in the past, starting and growing your own business is an emotional rollercoaster. Navigating those highs... Getting Started What to Do If Your Business Idea Already Exists You had an “a-ha” moment when you came up with an amazing idea for a business. You quickly looked it... Getting Started Why You Should Share Your Business Idea We often see new entrepreneurs hold on tight to their business ideas for fear that someone might steal them. This... Business Planning Is a Business Plan Necessary? It seems that every businessperson has an opinion on whether a small business or startup founder should write a business... Thinking Holistically Embrace Your Vulnerability as an Entrepreneur Some years ago, I told a business partner that I didn’t want to be a CEO. I was terrified of... Thinking Holistically Overcoming Perfectionism in Your Business This week, we’re continuing to look at the ways that entrepreneurs frequently sabotage their businesses, specifically letting perfectionism take over. Perfectionism... Thinking Holistically How to Take Back Your Power in Business In a previous blog post, we looked at the ways that entrepreneurs frequently sabotage their businesses. One of those ways... Getting Started Don’t Quit Your Day Job… Yet When we are interviewing aspiring entrepreneurs for our programs, we always ask about their short-term personal goals. In almost every... Freelancer Is Being a Freelancer for Me? Freelancing offers the opportunity to work with more flexibility and the freedom to create a desirable lifestyle. While becoming a... Thinking Holistically How to Prevent Decision Fatigue in Your Business Last week, we discussed how decision fatigue can show up and affect your business. This week, we’re sharing some tips... Thinking Holistically Is Decision Fatigue Affecting Your Business? After a long day, I was trying to decide what to write about in this blog post. Even though I... Thinking Holistically Fall in Love with Your Business…Again Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I’ve been thinking about love and business. More specifically, falling in love... Getting Started How to Prepare Your Personal Finances for Business Ownership We’ve discussed the importance of preparing yourself financially for business ownership. This week we’re sharing some tips on how to... Thinking Holistically Are You Cut Out to Be an Entrepreneur? We are often asked, “Do you think everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur?” It is a thoughtful question on... Getting Started Is Your Business Idea the Right One? As an entrepreneurial person, you probably have no shortage of business ideas. It’s not difficult to come up with potentially... Getting Started How to Choose an Entrepreneurship Program You recognize that you and your business could benefit from joining an entrepreneurship program. But, there are so many programs... Building Capacity Is It Time to Hire? The great news is that your business is thriving. But, you’re finding it challenging to keep up with everything. Are... Business Planning Tips for Making Better Business Decisions As a business owner, you are faced with many opportunities and decisions that can affect your business’ strategic direction. It... Business Planning The Right Time to Write Your First Business Plan Writing your first business plan is an important step in starting your business. Your business plan is your roadmap for... Business Planning Tips for Pricing Your Product or Service For many entrepreneurs, setting a price for your product or service can feel intimidating. Your ability to attract customers, generate... Getting Started Is Starting a Business Right for Me? If you’ve ever considered starting your own business, you may have wondered if that’s the right thing for you to... Business Planning What to Pay Myself as a Business Owner? When we look at forecasting business expenses, we always get asked “When is the right time to start paying myself... Getting Started Tips for Your First Year in Business Your first year of business is an exciting experience. You’ve held onto your business idea for so long, and now... Thinking Holistically Ways to Say “No” Without Hurting Your Business In our previous blog post about setting boundaries in your business, we started the conversation about why it’s important to... Thinking Holistically Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Starting a Business If you’ve ever taken the leap of starting your own business, you’ve likely experienced an emotional rollercoaster. Your business seems... Building Capacity Responding to a Client that Says You Charge Too Much I was reflecting on a past experience of tabling at an event for entrepreneurs and organizations that serve entrepreneurs in... Thinking Holistically Why Entrepreneurs Need Mentors As a freelancer, small business owner, or startup founder, you may be the only person working on your business. And,... Thinking Holistically Are You Sabotaging Your Business? As entrepreneurs, we start our journeys with great intentions and aspirations. But as we realize how much goes into building... Thinking Holistically Setting Boundaries in Your Business As business owners, we often don’t set boundaries for fear of losing existing clients or not being able to find... Business Planning Can’t I Just Hire Someone to Write My Business Plan? We often hear people ask “Can’t I just hire someone to write my business plan for me?” Writing a business... Getting Started Should I Join an Entrepreneurship Program? This is the year you’re ready to start your own business. And you’re trying to decide whether you should join... Getting Started Laid Off? Try Freelancing During the mortgage crisis of 2008, I was laid off from my job in investment banking. This was the second... Freelancing How to Respond to “Can I Pick Your Brain?” As a freelancer or business owner, you may have been asked on more than one occasion, “Can I pick your... Getting Started Starting a Business? Prepare Yourself Financially You’re looking to start a business. You have a great idea. You are starting to evaluate the feasibility of your... Getting Started The Power of Entrepreneurs Right Now Anyone who has been keeping up with the news knows that we are living in a new era, with a... Thinking Holistically Stop Procrastinating and Get Down to Business This week, we’re continuing to look at the ways that entrepreneurs frequently sabotage their businesses. One of those ways is... Business Planning Do I Need a Business Plan as a Freelancer? Like many self-employed people, I fell into freelancing. I stumbled through marketing to former colleagues, taking whatever interesting projects came... Getting Started Know Your Ideal Freelance Client As a freelancer, you have limited time and money to spend on marketing your business. So, before you begin marketing... Building Capacity How to Measure the Success of Your Strategic Plan Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been writing about the benefits of having an annual strategic plan and how... Thinking Holistically Where to Find Business Mentors A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about why entrepreneurs need mentors. From that post, several people contacted me asking... Business Planning How to Set Your Freelancer Rates When you are an employee, your employer tells you what your rate is through your salary. But as a freelancer,... Getting Started Guide to Getting Started as a Freelancer Freelancing is on the rise. For individuals, freelancing offers a compelling way to work with more flexibility and the freedom... Business Planning Guide to Analyzing Your Business’ Cash Flow When I was an investment banker, I went through extensive training on how to analyze the health of a business’... Entrepreneurial Journey Protected: Healing Her Community: Daisy Ozim, Resilient Wellness This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: Freelancing Guide to Creating a Self-Employed Budget Being self-employed has its perks, including flexibility in your work schedule and the ability to work with the clients you... Thinking Holistically Manage Energy, Not Time Late last week, I came down with a cold. For me, colds never come at the right time. It’s always... Thinking Holistically Working for Yourself Doesn’t Have to be Lonely You’re working for yourself. You get to work from home. Work with clients you choose. Work on projects you enjoy. ... Getting Started Guide to Exploring Your Business Idea You have an idea for a business! You’re eager to dive in and turn that idea into an actual product... Thinking Holistically Create Relationships, Not Just Transactions Since Valentine’s Day is this week, I’ve been thinking about love, relationships and business. You may ask “What do love...